TLDR: Over the next four weeks I will write a series of blogs on Gratitude, Prayer, Faith, and Sacrificial Giving. I will tie each theme to the vision of Saint Dunstans, “To unite all people with the love of God.” The following is the first blog in this series.
The vision of Saint Dunstan’s, “to unite all people with the love of God” is rooted in our identity as children of God. We celebrate each day that our redemption is in Christ alone, received by grace alone, through faith alone, as it is clearly expressed in Scripture alone. These are truths of the Reformation we have received through our Anglican tradition, and I find great comfort in them. If I could summarize our Anglican Reformation inheritance in one word, it would have to be the Latin word “SOLA” or alone/only. Everything we are and everything we are called to be is built on the foundation of salvation by faith in Christ alone. Therefore, everything we do and say around this campus expresses our desire to honor God in Christ alone, by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is a goal powerful enough to wake up in the morning filled with energy and passion. This is the fuel of our spiritual life and nothing else matters as much.
Of course, to honor God in Christ, by the power of the Spirit, has ethical implications for our daily life. These are not ethereal, overly complex, theological constructs. Rather, these are very practical realities that demand a very particular lifestyle. Scripture puts it this way, “Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.” (1 Jn 4:20). Service to others in and for Christ becomes the practical expression of this love to which we are called by Christ. To love is to serve. “Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him…” (then, he said) “If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:1-20).
Our service to God in Christ, by the power of the Spirit, expressed in our love of others, is grounded in gratitude. Simply described, gratitude is thankfulness for what another person has done for us, as well as appreciation for the good things that happen in our life. The helping professions have preached the emotional benefits of a life centered on gratitude for several decades. Gratitude to God acknowledges that all we have, and all we are, is a gift from God, given not because we deserve it, but because of God’s overwhelming grace and love for the human race. We are the only creature in creation into which God whispers his Holy Spirit. We alone are created in the very image of God, and endowed with the ability to reason, create, enter into loving relationships with others, build lives worthy of God’s love, and dream new worlds yet to be discovered. God has given us ingenuity and passion. The ability to create families, communities, industries, and legacies that honor God’s intent for our lives. But, when our disobedience took us far from God, Jesus Christ, God’s Son, was sent to rescue us, in the greatest rescue mission in the history of the world. This is how much God has loved us. The mere remembrance of any of these facts should fill us with deep, abounding gratitude.
Gratitude also covers appreciation for what happens in our lives. From a beautiful sunrise or sunset to the smile of a child at the supermarket, from the kind gesture of a neighbor to an act of sacrifice (however small) by a spouse, from a beautiful hymn that aids our worship and sparks our imagination to a well-delivered sermon that reminds us of God’s infinite love for us, from the smile of appreciation of a child at Eiland after a mentoring session to the deep thankfulness of a client at Hope Center Houston or Lord of the Streets. The follower of Jesus is called to receive everything as a blessing and to give thanks to God for all blessings received. If our religious practices do not result in lives filled with gratitude, they are not in fact as religious as we think, and they may not be as good as we hope.
Our service to God in Christ, by the power of the Spirit, expressed in our love of others, is also revealed in prayer, lived in faith, and contextualized in sacrificial giving of ourselves and our goods to the building of God’s kingdom. In the next three blogs, I will write on three additional themes of Prayer, Faith, and Sacrificial Giving. Later in the season, I will preach on each of these themes as well. These are essential truths of our faith, and it is healthy to be reminded of what makes our tradition a gift to us and to the world.
Please feel free to share this blog with your friends and family. Better yet, direct them to our website for additional blogs and sermons. May our Lord continue to bless you,
Fr. Roman+
